But he said the widespread disregard for the cellphone law makes it difficult to see how officers could impound vehicles – at least on a first offence – without being accused of selective, unfair enforcement.

“The impoundment of vehicles is difficult because of the large numbers,” said Dubord, who is taking over as chief of Delta Police later this month. “When people are speeding at double the limit speed limit a threshold is broken which can then lead to the impounding of the vehicle.”

He said he believes prohibitions should be considered, but only for the worst repeat offenders.

The chiefs’ association doesn’t have a formal position on prohibitions, nor has it adopted the stance that texting is worse than handheld phone calls.

According to research cited by the province, texting or using a smartphone while driving is more distracting than talking on one, resulting in up to 23 times higher crash risk for drivers who text.

Speed and distraction are now the top two factors contributing to crash deaths, ahead of third-ranked alcohol.

B.C.’s distracted driving fines are the second-lowest in Canada. Nova Scotia has the highest, climbing from $234 to $579 on the third offence, and Ontario is about to double its maximum fine from $500 to $1,000.

Saskatchewan impounds the vehicle for seven days if the driver has had two or more distracted driving tickets within the last year.

Dubord said police are also concerned about the increasing use of in-dash video screens that allow the passenger, and often also the driver, to watch movies.

He said officers are also wary of other new and distracting technology, from Google Glass to the Apple Watch.